There will be an element of risk but our doctors and other healthcare workers are up for it: Etela Rajender

Health Minister Eatala Rajender on Friday said Telangana was meticulous in implementing all the guidelines notified by the Centre.

“The entire country is facing this crisis and we too are doing our best. Instead of coming up with constructive and positive suggestions, there is a lot of negativity from political parties and certain individuals. It’s ironic that patients are praising facilities at Gandhi Hospital but people who are not at all related are unnecessarily criticising,” Rajender said, adding that providing critical care to Covid-19 positive cases entailed a lot of risk and one should be proud of the State’s healthcare workers who are risking their lives.

“Doctors at top medical institutions including AIIMS, New Delhi, too are getting infected with Covid-19. Does that mean that they don’t have access to PPE kits or N95 masks? We all have to realise that there is an element of risk involved while handling coronavirus cases and there will be instances where healthcare workers will test positive,” Rajender said.

So far 17 doctors from Modern Government Maternity Hospital (MGMH), Petlaburj, six from NIMS and three



from Gandhi Hospital have tested positive for Covid-19.

“We can postpone any number of elective surgeries but can’t do the same with deliveries. At any cost, around 50,000 deliveries in a month happen in government hospitals. So, there will be an element of risk but our doctors and other healthcare workers are up for it,” Rajender said.

At present, the State Health Department has access to 10 lakh PPE Kits, 11 lakh N95 masks, 84 lakh tablets of HCQ, close to 60 lakh doses of Azithromycin and other anti-viral drugs such as Remdesivir and Favipiravir. Recently, the health wing has received 150 ventilators and efforts are also on to augment the testing capacity by conducting diagnostics in all teaching hospitals, he said.

All teaching hospitals, area and district hospitals have been directed to follow 7 days ON and 7 days OFF rule.

“We have divided hospital staff into two groups and each will take turns for seven days quarantine and then work. Instead of discouraging our healthcare workers with negative talk, let’s encourage them,” he said.